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I write fantasy for tweens and teens. I blog about books and writing and occasionally travel and homeschooling.

My world of Aluvia series is with Curiosity Quills Press, and is an upper-middle grade fantasy, well-suited for ages 11-14, though all ages can enjoy it. FAIRY KEEPER, MER-CHARMER and DRAGON REDEEMER each stand-alone but are best read as a series. My fourth book will be releasing with Blaze Publishing this summer, called THE WORST VILLAIN EVER.

This is a family-friendly site. Note: There are some spoilers in a few of my book reviews, primarily the ones done for my grad school classes. I do warn readers with a big, "SPOILER!" announcement on the review.

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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Review of THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, for LS 5603, TWU

The story is a tale of a young orphan boy named Hugo
who desperately wants to fix a mechanical man that can write, believing the
machine will deliver a message from his deceased father who had been working on
the machine before he died.Hugo reluctantly
becomes friends with another orphan, a girl who is the god-child of a toy maker
that Hugo has been stealing from, using the toys as parts to repair the
mechanical man.When the mechanical man
proves to be a creation of the girl’s god-father, Papa Georges, they learn the
god-father used to be a famous film maker in the earliest days of film who has
since declined into ill-health as his films had been repeatedly ignored and
lost over time.Hugo must decide who and
what he will become, and in the process, helps Papa Georges remember and celebrate
who he was and still can be.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This work is very unusual, in that it is a
combination of novel, picture book, graphic novel and even reminiscent of an
old-fashioned silent black and white movie.In 2008, Selznick won the Caldecott Medal, which is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished picture book of the year. As one might expect, therefore, illustrations
play a large role in communicating mood and advancing the plot. It is definitely not a traditional picture book, but children would need to be able to see the
drawings if any excerpts are used in any read-alouds.The illustrations are pencil within a black
frame, often richly dark and mysterious, much like the secrets that are woven throughout
the story.The art does a fantastic job
of reflecting the black and white films around which the plot revolves.

Any child who reads Hugo will doubtless feel a huge sense of accomplishment, due to the
enormous size of the book.I felt
intimidated when I saw it!However, due
to the many illustrations, the book moves much faster than expected. There are 284 pages of drawings, making it
feel much like a graphic novel.Often
several pages of illustrations in a row carry the plot.There
is also a great deal of white space on many of the text pages.The book is 526 pages long, so some students will
undoubtedly shy away just looking at it, but that would be a mistake.

This is a book that will appeal to both girls and
boys.Research has documented the loss
of boy readers once they reach upper elementary ages and middle school.They tend to read differently than girls, as
discussed in the article, “Books and Boys,” by Jane McFann (available online at
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/23978
.) Given the majority of elementary and
middle school teachers and librarians are females, they also often inadvertently
choose books that appeal primarily to girls.Studies suggest that girls are willing to read books with boy
protagonists, but boys are not quite as flexible about reading books with girl
protagonists.Hugo contains action and plenty of mystery, and the main character
is a boy.Thus, it is a good book to
recommend to boys as well as girls.

The story is touching, with themes related to family,
searching for your own calling and finding a complete sense of self.Publishers
Weekly suggests it is suitable for ages 9-12 (Amazon says ages 8 and up),
but I think that it is certainly still appropriate for older ages even though
Hugo is only twelve in the story.Note that Hugo’s desperate desire for the last
message of his father could be very painful for a child who has lost a parent.

4.REVIEW EXCERPTS

“Complete genius”Horn Book, starred review.

“Here is a true masterpiece—an artful blending of
narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it
is touching.”Publishers Weekly, starred review

"With characteristic intelligence, exquisite images
and a breathtaking design, Selznick shatters conventions related to the art of
bookmaking in this magical mystery set in the 1930s Paris.” School
Library Journal, starred review

“Visually stunning,” San Antonio Express-News (I had to include The Express-News-- I live in San Antonio!)

In
a classroom or family setting, it would be wonderful to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, then watch
the movie and compare/contrast the two. You can read more about the movie on Selznick's website.

Consider
finding a nonfiction book on the real Georges Méliès.This filmmaker did exist, though his
personality and family was fabricated for the story.Several of his drawings are included in the
book, with permission.But readers could
learn more about the historical figure himself or his works of automata (moving
machines as in the story.)What was real
in history?What was added?The Acknowledgements section of the book
address these concerns.Additionally, Brian Selznick thoughtfully includes a wonderful page on his website that provides a great deal of historical information on Georges Méliès.

A
study on early film and film-making techniques might be interesting for older
readers.

The opening set of drawings from the book is online (on his site) shown in sequence so that it looks almost like a movie. Worth viewing! His website is definitely worth exploring.

6.PERSONAL REACTIONS

As mentioned, I was very intimidated by the size of
the book during a summer session with plenty of other work, but I had heard so
many good things about it that I wanted to read it.Plus, I knew there had been a movie made based
on it.I wanted to see the movie, but I
hate seeing movies before reading the books on which they are based.I read it in one sitting. I did not actually cry, but I did get choked
up a few times near the end.The art is
inspiring, especially for anyone who has ever drawn or dabbled in art his or
herself.I felt like getting a pencil
and trying to draw something!